To Save The World With A Secret
by Oreochema
Summary: Ron grunted as the Lotus Blade was sent spinning away, but once the katana left his grasp, the grunt became a wet, gurgling sound, and the blood that was pouring into his lungs blocked the scream of pain that struggled to tear through his vocal cords.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KP, YADDA YADDA...**

**To Save The World With A Secret**

PART 1:

'Ahh, finally back.' Kim Possible thought as she opened the front door of her house and stepped inside. 'Maybe now I can enjoy a nice hot shower and get some breakfast!' The nineteen-year-old girl entered the living room and breathed in the familiar air of her Middleton home.

Kim had just spent her Friday night fighting crime, both dueling with Shego and fending off hordes of synthodrones. She might have been finished sooner and gotten home earlier, but Ron had been unable to accompany her on the mission. He was currently in Japan training with Master Sensei at the Yamanouchi school and wouldn't be returning until the next morning. Kim would be the one to pick him up from the airport and take him home.

The house was quiet, so Kim went up to her room and prepared for her shower, putting away her knapsack and retrieving her robe and a towel from her closet. As she searched for something to wear afterward, she spied her custom-made supersuit hanging behind her Club Banana winter coat. At the sight, a wave of memories attacked her mind.

_Ron burst through the gym doors at the dance and screamed that the Diablos were alive. Eric was so disbelieving, so skeptical, that when Kim picked up her Kimmunicator to contact Wade, Ron had to tell Eric to back off._

_They'd gone back to her house to reveal the truth to Dr. Possible, and shortly afterward, the Diablos indeed came to life. Growing and mutating into enormous, plasma-shooting robots, the Diablos came after Kim with a vengance, ruining her dress in the process. While Kim and Ron distracted the robots, her parents (and, of course, the tweebs) were cooking up their own little surprise. In fact, just as Kim catapulted herself behind one of the bushes in the front yard, the garage door opened and her family presented her and Ron with helmets and Ron's scooter, which was now rocket-powered (courtesy of Dr. Possible, the family rocket scientist)._

_Mounting the scooter and hitting the gas, the two teens sped out of the front yard, Ron at the handlbars, and the Diablos close behind. Ron, of course, knew where the robot-activating command signal was coming from, and headed straight for the source, which was, ironically, Bueno Nacho. There the teens eliminated the signal that caused the Diablos to come to life._

_Shortly afterward, Kim got a call on the Kimmunicator. . . ._

Shaking the memories away, Kim chose a pair of her favorite denim blue capris and a white, short-sleeved top that matched her eyes, then set the items on her bed so they would be ready for her when she returned. Stripping out of her dirty, sweaty mission clothes, Kim tossed them into the laundry hamper by her door and slipped into her robe, then strode out of her room and headed for the bathroom.

Once inside with the door safely closed, Kim removed her robe and turned on the water. While she waited for the shower to heat up, she turned and examined herself in the mirror. Her long red hair was tangled from her extended evening in Drakken's lair, and her deep green eyes looked tired and dull. Her normally bright face had dimmed a little from her exertions, too. She looked completely exhausted. Kim enjoyed the crime-fighting, sure, but when she had to spend an entire night in a villian's lair, the experience became more of pain than a pleasure.

The mirror began to fog, obstructing Kim's view of herself, so she pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the soothing spray of steaming water. As the warmth flowed over Kim's body, she couldn't help but submit to a new wave of assailing memories from that night. . . .

_Drakken's message left Kim feeling both hurt and angry. Getting involved in her personal life was low, even for her arch nemesis. So, Kim did the only thing she knew how to do; she went for Eric, taking the experimental supersuit out for its first road test. Of course, she couldn't get far into the Bueno Nacho compound without being plagued by Shego. She and Kim were soon locked in a stalemate._

_"You know, Eric's kinda cute." Shego sneered. "Once you're out of the picture, maybe I'll date him!"_

_With that remark, Shego had crossed the line. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Kim went ballistic, throwing punches in a flurry of fists. One blow finally connected, sending Shego flying into a wall and leaving her stunned. Kim was standing there, glaring with contempt at the woman, when she heard the voice of the one she'd come to save._

_"Wow." Eric said. "I didn't know you cared that much."_

_"Eric!" Kim yelled, running to hug him. As he enfolded her in his arms, she whispered, "Eric."_

"_Kim." Erik crooned. "Actually, I'm known around here as synthodrone number 901."_

That, along with the massive electric current that sent pain crackling through her entire body, had turned Kim's whole world upside down.

_She woke in a Bueno Nacho store room, Ron fussing over how worried he'd been and telling her that he'd thought she was 'down for the count'. At that moment, Kim realized that Drakken possessed the ability to exploit every aspect of her teen life to make sure that she wouldn't be able to stop him. She was crushed. Never again would she be able to fight him and win, because he would be right there with one of her weaknesses, ready to use it against her._

_Ron, of course, told her that the pity party wasn't going to work and that she needed to get her head in the game. After Ron's awkward but vague confession of his love, Rufus promptly popped out of his pocket and proceeded to burn the teens' bonds with Kim's laser lipstick. Re-inspired, Kim grabbed the disruptor that Wade had created and made her way to the main control room. There, Drakken was chortling and boasting about how wonderful it was to be in control and how great it felt to have Kim Possible under his thumb. That's when Kim walked in._

_"Sure it's hard." She said. "The boys, the dating. . . . but this, is easy." With that, she delivered a solid fist to Drakken's face and watched him hit the main desk head-on. Then, with Shego on her heels, Kim headed for the roof to destroy the control tower and the robots it empowered._

_After a quick fistfight with Shego, Kim finally got her chance, and fired the disruptor at the tower. As Drakken panicked, the small device powered its way toward the giant antenna, only to be caught at the last second by synthodrone #901._

_And yet, Rufus came through again. Bearing a grudge against the synthodrone for saying that a naked mole rat is 'not cool but gross,' the hairless little rodent emerged from Eric's pant leg and bit a hole in his leg. Eric collapsed, dropping the disruptor on the tower and causing it to overload. Kim turned to leave, but catching Shego trying to escape, she asked, "You know what I really hate?"_

_"That. . . your date melted?" Shego asked, adopting a fighting stance._

_"No. You." Replied Kim, kicking Shego and lauching her into the collapsing remnants of the control tower._

_After supervising the arrest of both Drakken and Shego, Kim led Ron back to Middleton High and into the gym. Although Bonnie found it amusing that Kim and Ron were together, everyone else was ecstatic that they were finally dating. The music resumed, and the two crime-fighting teens took their place on the dance floor, Kim in her ruined dress and Ron wearing the blue suit that his father once used. Amid their embarrassment and their on looking classmates, the two of them kissed. . . ._

Kim snapped back to the present, aware that she was blushing. She reached for the shampoo and squeezed some onto her palm, lathering up her hair and working the suds through the bright strands. Satisfied that she'd cleaned her scalp thoroughly, she rinsed the shampoo out and replaced it with conditioner. While she waited for it to do its job, she soaped up and rid herself of the night's sweat and grime, then rinsed the conditioner from her hair. She turned off the water.

Kim wrapped her hair in a towel, donned her robe, and left the bathroom, starting toward her room to change. She paused in the hallway, hearing the sounds of a waking family in the kitchen, and longed for a plate of hot pancakes. First, though, she would have to get dressed. So, she climbed the stairs to her room and adopted the clothes she had selected earlier, then proceeded back downstairs from her room to the kitchen for her long-awaited breakfast.

"Morning, Kimmie-cub." Her dad said from behind his morning newspaper. "You were gone all night. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Ron couldn't come along this time; he had to go back to Japan to sort out some exchange student issues, so the mission took a lot longer than it should have."

"That's odd." Her father remarked. "It's summer break. Why would he go back to Japan?"

"There was an end-of-the-year test he forgot to take before he left."

Of course Kim knew the real truth, but no one else did. Even she wasn't supposed to know why Ron was really in Japan, but she did, and now she had to help him keep it a secret from everyone in Middleton.

The twins bounded into the room, hyperactive as always. "Morning, Kim!" They greeted her in unison, like they shared one brain, and sat down at the table for breakfast. Kim just smiled back at them, happy that they weren't blowing something up already.

"How does pancakes sound, boys?" Mrs. Possible said from her position next to the stove. "Kim?"

"Sounds great!" Kim and the twins said at the same time. They exchanged glances, surprised. Their parents just chuckled.

After breakfast, Kim went to her room, retrieved her knapsack from the floor next to her bed, and sat down, digging through its contents. She quickly found what she was looking for, a small, round microchip that was tucked into a foam square inside a tiny clear plastic case. This was what Drakken had stolen for his new Doomsday device, but Kim managed to steal it back before he could get it attached to the motherboard on his mini-satellite.

The microchip was the latest marvel in GPS technology. With it, Drakken's satellite would have been able to fire lasers anywhere on the earth, with aim that was accurate down to a millimeter. Global Justice officers, along with Dr. Director, arrived to take Drakken and Shego into custody, but the villians had escaped before the GJ officers could arrest them. Dr. Director knew that Drakken and Shego would steal the microchip again once it was returned to its owner, so she requested that Kim hide it for safekeeping until the criminals could be captured. Kim had brought the small device home with her and was now thinking of somewhere to put it where it would be safe. An idea came almost instantly.

She told her parents where she was going and got into her car, arriving back home less than half an hour later.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully; the family spent their time together for the first time in ages, playing board games and card games, and went to bed that night feeling sleepy but happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF THE TELEVISION SHOW 'KIM POSSIBLE'. KIM, RON, RUFUS, SHEGO, DR. DRAKKEN, DR. DIRECTOR, WADE, MR. POSSIBLE, MRS. POSSIBLE, JIM, TIM, AND OTHER KIM POSSIBLE CHARACTERS BELONG TO DISNEY. THE STORY AND THE UNKNOWN CHARACTER BELONG TO ME.**

**To Save The World With A Secret**

PART 2:

A loud 6:45 a.m. buzzing invaded Kim's dreams, so she reached over and slapped her alarm clock repeatedly until it quit making noise. Tired, she sat up in bed and stretched. Time to pick Ron up from the airport.

Kim got out of bed, dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt, and headed out the door after grabbing her car keys. The 7:00 Middleton air was pleasantly cool and caressed her skin with a smooth touch. The teenager got into her car and turned on the ignition, then backed out of the driveway. Turning down the street that led toward her destination, Kim adjusted the rearview mirrors and checked the time; she would only have to wait about fifteen minutes for her boyfriend to arrive.

Kim reached the Middleton airport at 7:10 and left her locked car in the parking zone. She walked in the front door of the airport and sat down in the waiting area.

She hadn't even realized that she'd dozed off, but the next thing she knew, Kim was waking to the sound of Ron coaxing her out of her sleep and the feel of his hand on her cheek.

"KP?"

"Huh?"

"You okay?"

Kim opened her eyes. "Ron!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug her boyfriend.

"Uh, Kim? You're kind of choking me."

"Oh, sorry." Kim immediately let go of Ron and allowed him to breathe. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Did you drive here yourself?"

"Yeah, but don't worry; I wasn't nodding behind the wheel."

"Good. Let's go home. I'm beat."

"What? You don't want to pick up some breakfast at Bueno Nacho first?"

"No. I just want to sleep."

At this, Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket and squeaked, "No naco?"

"Not now, buddy." Ron said. "Maybe later today." Rufus became downcast, but he soon caught sight of Kim.

"Ooh, Kim!" He squeaked, climbing up to Ron's shoulder for a hug from his other best friend.

"Hi, Rufus!" Kim said, holding the little rodent to her face so he could embrace her cheek; Rufus have her a tiny kiss, too before scampering back to Ron's pocket.

The young couple made their way out the door to Kim's car and loaded Ron's things into the trunk, then got into the vehicle. As Kim started the engine and backed out of the parking lot, she began to speak. "I had to stop Drakken and Shego while you were gone. I was-"

"What did he do this time?" Ron asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"He stole a new piece of technology; what else?" Kim turned out into the street, which was mostly empty.

"What was it?" Ron asked.

"A scientist by the name of Aurthur Mendel created a new microchip which is now the new phenomenon in the GPS world. It can pinpoint any location on earth, accurate down to a millimeter."

"Wow." was all Ron could say.

"Yeah, but of course, Drakken was going to use it for another one of his super weapons. He was going to attach it to a mini-satellite that he had designed to fire lasers at the earth, but I managed to steal it back before he could use it. After that I spent most of the night fighting Drakken's synthodrones and Shego, at least until GJ showed up to arrest the two of them. They escaped, though."

"Bummer." Ron said.

"I know. Dr. Director thought that they would try to steal the microchip again if she returned it to Mendel, so she asked me to hide it somewhere for safekeeping, and I knew just the place."

"Where did you hide it?" Ron asked.

"Dr. Director asked me not to tell anyone, but-HEY, WATCH IT!" Kim was cut off when another vehicle shot out in front of her, causing her to slam on the brakes. "What a jerk!" she said, regaining control of her car.

Ron watched the wreckless driver merge with traffic. "No kidding." He agreed, his earlier question forgotten. He quickly composed himself. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be the one holding the chip? I mean, what if Drakken targets you?"

"Ron, I've dealt with both Shego and Drakken before. I think I can handle it if they try to attack me."

"I guess you're right." said Ron, resigning himself to silence.

Kim dropped Ron off at his house, then headed home, leaving him with the promise of a later visit for lunch. By the time she arrived at her own house, it was almost 8:00, and her family was up and about. Today, however, was more normal; the tweebs were playing with fuel in the garage, Mr. Possible was poring over rocket schematics, and Mrs. Possible was already on her way out the door for an emergency brain surgery. Kim paused for a quick goodbye from her mother before she entered the dining room.

"Morning, Kimmie." Mr. Possible greeted. "How's Ronald?"

"He's pretty tired. He didn't even want to go to Bueno Nacho for breakfast."

"Ronald didn't want to go to Bueno Nacho? Now the impossible _has_ happened!"

"I know. Rufus was pretty bummed, but Ron promised a visit later for lunch, and I plan on going with him."

"Okay, just drive carefully. We wouldn't want an accident."

Kim nodded and went upstairs to her room to call Wade. When his image popped up on the Kimmunicator, she said, "Good morning, Wade. Any news?"

"Nothing to report. There's been some interference coming through on my communications system, but I don't know what it is or where it's coming from. It's probably nothing. Drakken and Shego haven't shown themselves, either; they're probably off cooking up some new scheme to replace the one you just foiled, but nothing has indicated they're ready to mobilize yet."

"Good. Thanks, Wade."

"How's Ron? Did his trip go okay?"

"He's ready to do a lot of sleeping, but I'm planning on visiting him later today for lunch at Bueno Nacho, so I'll hear about his latest exploits then."

"Well, it's good to hear he's okay. I'll call you if anything comes up. Wade out." The screen went black and Kim slipped the device into her back pocket.

Kim spent the rest of the morning reading Club Banana magazines and talking to Monique on her phone. By the time noon arrived, she was hungry. She decided it was time to go get Ron for lunch and make the trip to his Mecca. Grabbing her keys off of her nightstand and her green jacket from her closet (for indeed the day had become overcast and was threatening the world with rain), Kim ran out the front door yelling, "I'm going to lunch with Ron!" She heard three 'good-byes' as she shut the door behind her, and got into her car. She pulled out of the driveway and started down the road for Ron's house.

She was about halfway to her destination when she spotted Ron lying face-down in the middle of the street. Slamming on the brakes and virtually leaping out of the car in a panicked frenzy, Kim sprinted in the direction of her boyfriend and knelt next to him.

"Ron?!" Her voice was loud and jerky. She reached for Ron to turn him over. "Ron, are y-"

She stopped short when she realized that this person wasn't her boyfriend, but an incredibly realistic dummy. She pulled the Kimmunicartor out of her pocket and frantically punched the button that would connect her with Wade. He finally answered.

"Kim, what is it? Are you okay?"

"Something's going on, Wade. I need you to scan this dummy and find out who put it here."

"No problem." Kim held the Kimmunicator over the fake Ron and waited while Wade scanned it. When he was done, he said, "I can't tell you who put it here. There's no evidence. How did you find it?"

"I was on my way to Ron's to take him to Bueno Nacho. I thought I saw him lying in the middle of the street and went to investigate, but when I got here, I realized it was a dummy."

"Sounds fishy. I think you should get out of there before- KIM, LOOK-" Wade was cut off as his connection to the Kimmunicator was disrupted.

After that, everything began to happen very quickly. The connection with Wade had indeed been severed, but Kim hardly noticed because she was getting up to face whatever he had seen. Before she could turn more than halfway around, though, a black sack was pulled over her head, and her kidnapper threw her over his shoulder and began to carry her down the street. She heard the sound of a helicopter overhead and knew that if she didn't do something quickly, she wouldn't be able to prevent her abduction. So she did the only thing she knew how. She fought.

Rocking her body forward, Kim tried to throw the mysterious person off balance. When he paused to shift his stance, she took the momentary distraction to throw her weight again, this time causing the person to fall. Kim managed to keep herself from tumbling headfirst into the pavement, but she jarred her left wrist in the process and yelped in pain. Hopping to her feet, she reached for the cloth bag on her head, but before she could pull it off, her assailant grabbed her hand. Before he could twist her arm behind her back, Kim shifted her body weight and threw her attacker to the ground.

He was up instantly. Kim heard him huff in anger and felt his presence whisk to a position somewhere behind her. She never felt the blow that rendered her unconscious.

The kidnapper, a tall, athletic man of about thirty years, grabbed the girl around the waist and tossed her back over his shoulder like she was nothing, then continued his short trip to the rendezvous point. A long black ladder unrolled from the chopper's belly and the man gripped it tight, letting the helicopter lift him into the sky as the first few rain drops from an impending thunderstorm began to fall. He looked down and grinned. Mission success.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN 'KIM POSSIBLE'. KIM, RON, RUFUS, WADE, SHEGO, DRAKKEN, DR. DIRECTOR AND GLOBAL JUSTICE, MR. POSSIBLE, MRS. POSSIBLE, JIM, TIM, AND ANY OTHER KIM POSSIBLE CHARACTERS BELONG TO DISNEY. THE STORY, HOWEVER, IS MINE, AND SO ARE RICK OWENS AND WALTER BARON.**

***UPDATE***

**I modified a paragraph early in the chapter because it seemed off to me, but there were no major changes to the story. Just some minor fixes! Enjoy! (Again)  
**

PART 3:

It wasn't long after Kim left that Wade contacted Dr. Possible. The rocket scientist had been in the living room watching the news when Wade's visage appeared on the screen in front of him, cutting off the weather report.

"Dr. Possible!" Wade fairly yelled.

"What is it, Wade? You look shaken!"

"Kim's in trouble!"

Immediately Kim's father was up out of his seat. "Where is she?"

A video of Wade's earlier conversation with Kim played on the television while he relayed his story. "Midway between here and Ron's house. She'd been on her way to pick him up for lunch when she saw him lying in the street. She called me when she realized it was a dummy, and I scanned it, but I couldn't find out where it came from. My connection was terminated as someone tried to grab her from behind." As the video feed ended with Kim's assailant moving up behind her, Wade's face retook the screen.

There was no delay in Dr. Possible's response. "Kim could still be there. I'm going to see if I can get there before she's gone. Call Ron. Tell him to meet me there. Then call Global Justice. They'll know what to do next."

Wade nodded and ended the call. Dr. Possible never even saw the weather return to the screen; he was already out the door, the twins staring after him in disbelief and shock.

He knew he'd arrived too late. Just moments too late. Kim was gone, kidnapped, and the person who took her was most certainly in the rapidly departing helicopter that was nowhere in sight but still very close.

Dr. Possible hung his head, fear filling his heart for his daughter. But more than fear, there was rage. What right did these people have kidnapping a teenaged crime-fighter, his daughter, off of the street? And who did they think they were?

Ron arrived a minute later, looking panicked, after the sound of the helicopter had faded to nothing. He kept looking around, as if expecting the entire scenario to be some sort of cruel joke.

"WHERE IS SHE?" He yelled, his hair already wet, his clothes damp from the beginning rain shower.

"She's gone, Ronald." Was all the reply he received.

Ron clenched his hands into fists. Why did this have to happen today? Why? He'd just returned from three weeks in Japan. He had just finished two weeks of intense training. He had also been looking forward to spending some time with his girlfriend for the first time in almost a month, and some maniac had to kidnap her right before their lunch date. "Did you see who it was?" He asked quietly, a droplet of water falling from a strand of his blonde hair and landing on his cheek.

"No."

Ron's anger was solid and black in his chest, but it was hardly as painful as the lump of fear and worry that insisted on gathering in his throat. "What's the plan?"

"We wait," Dr. Possible replied, "for Global Justice to respond to Wade's call."  
Lightning flickered across the sky, quickly followed by a peal of thunder. The light rain shower turned into an all-soaking downpour.

All she knew was pain. Her head hurt. Her neck was stiff. Her left wrist was throbbing. She felt sick to her stomach.

But it meant she was alive, and she couldn't complain about that.

Kim slowly opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing her neck. She was in a white padded room lit from above by a skylight; there were no furnishings of any kind, and save for a camera that watched her from a corner of the "window", she was completely alone. Taking a better look around, Kim also noted that there was no perceptible entrance to the room.

She lay back down, trying to think of some way to escape, but her thoughts wandered back to Middleton, where both her family and her boyfriend must know by now that she was missing; Wade would have contacted them. At the thought of Ron, Kim realized that he was probably right. It hadn't been such a great idea for her to hide that microchip, because whoever had captured her more than likely wanted its location.

Speaking of which, who exactly _had_ kidnapped her?

Rick slowly approached the massive set of wooden double doors that led into the Boss's office and reached up. He knocked quietly, so as not to disturb his employer.

"Come in." Was the quiet but clear command from inside the room.

Rick opened the right-side door and walked into the spacious office, breathing the familiar smell of leather and books. In fact, so many books lined the walls that the room could have served as a small library. The Boss was well-read. In the center of the room sat an enormous oak desk that could have served as a large dinner table.

"What did you need to see me about, Rick?" The Boss's deep, smooth voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, until he turned his big wingback chair around to face the blonde thirty-year-old man in front of his desk.

The man in the chair was tall and rather handsome despite his apparent age. He must have been around forty-five, but he looked ten years younger and still had a head full of thick black hair, though it was streaked with gray. He stood up.

Rick's answer came immediately, his voice full of respect (or was it fear?) for the man. "The girl is awake."

"Thank you for letting me know, Rick. You may leave." The subordinate turned and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Please, everyone, take a seat!" Dr. Director tried desperately to bring the meeting to order, but the worry and concern that filled the Global Justice conference room prevented anyone from settling down. She sank into her chair, frustrated. Only after enduring another five minutes of noise did the head of Global Justice stand and shout, "PLEASE, TAKE YOUR SEATS!"

Every person in the room immediately sat down, Ron and Wade on Dr. Director's right, and Kim's family on her left. All eyes were focused on those seven people.

Dr. Director stood. "Now I know you are all very concerned for Kim, but if we're going to do anything to help her, we need to focus. Her family is here to ask advice of us, so we need to show them our best, and we have to provide whatever will help them find Kim and get her back. I know what you're all thinking: 'Kim has saved the world many times, and now is our chance to save her.' I understand that more than you know, and I agree, so now is the time to put our all into this. Regrettably, I'm sure I know why Kim was kidnapped, and I will disclose that information shortly. However, we first must ask Wade, Ron, and the Possible family for their input so that we can understand fully what needs to be done."

The meeting settled into order, and Wade stood first to deliver his account, so far the most accurate, to the men and women seated around the table.

Kim jumped as a loud click reverberated through the padding in her room. Sitting back up, she tried to determine which wall the sound had come from, but had no luck until a grinding noise issued from her right. After about five seconds, the grinding stopped and a door opened outward to reveal a dim, metal-lined hallway outside the room; in the doorway stood a man with gray-streaked black hair and striking blue eyes. His hands were folded behind his back.

"Miss Possible, I must apologize for the treatment you have received. My right-hand man, Rick, tends to get a tad violent when his quarry gives him trouble." The man stepped forward and leaned against the right side of the door frame.

"A tad?" Kim retorted, cradling her wrist.

"Indeed, a bit of an understatement, but I am sorry nonetheless." The man nodded toward Kim's hand. "Would you care for someone to treat your injury? Or perhaps something to eat or drink?"

"Maybe not anything to eat." Kim responded. "I'm feeling sort of sick to my stomach. But my wrist is throbbing." She was a little suspicious about what this guy might slip into her food, but a splint couldn't be harmful.

"Perhaps you feel ill because you haven't eaten for a while." The man replied. He revealed his right hand from behind his back and snapped his fingers, then returned the hand to its original position. A guard from outside appeared at the door and entered the room with a medical kit. He approached Kim and carefully took her hand, splinting it with a care and deftness that surprised her.

"To be honest," Kim said as the guard returned to the hallway, "I'm a little confused, and who knows what you'll put in whatever you give me?"

"I can fully understand why you feel the way you do, but if you'll allow me, I can make you more comfortable. At least come have a drink. I have something that I need to discuss with you." The man gestured down the hallway.

Kim was reluctant to do anything this man wanted her to do, but she was thirsty, and he seemed to be honest enough; he seemed to find power in being an honest criminal, despite the contradiction in the term.

Kim got up and approached the doorway with caution. The man stepped aside to let her pass, and two dart gun-armed guards with helmet-covered faces took their places on her left and right. The party started down the hallway. When they arrived at an intersection, the man said, "Turn right," and Kim did so, coming to a small room, dim and metal-lined like the hallway, where sat a small table and two chairs. A blonde-haired man with violet-colored eyes stood in a far corner, watching Kim with intense interest. Kim and her mysterious host sat down.

"You may leave, Rick." The black-haired man said. The man in the corner nodded and promptly walked out of the room with the guards. Shortly afterward, the two armed mercenaries returned with a tray of hot water and tea bags and deposited the items on the table.

"What do you want to discuss with me?" Kim asked as she and the man reached for their cups. She had a good idea, but she wasn't about to jump to conclusions.

"You're so quick to get to the point, Miss Possible." The man said as he reached for a cup and a tea bag.

"I'm sure you would act no differently in my situation." Kim responded.

"Very well. The reason I have brought you here was to ask you a simple question, one I know you have the answer to."

"Okay, but why kidnap someone if you only have a question? Why not just ask?"

"Ah. A good query you pose, but one that could be answered with a little thought. However, I will ask first. My question is: where have you hidden the GPS microchip that you stole from Dr. Drakken?" The man sipped his tea. Kim still hadn't touched her own.

"That is information I won't give out willingly." Kim replied, her mood darkened. Her suspicion was correct. This man wanted the location of the microchip, and she was in fact the only person who knew its whereabouts. She recalled Ron asking, but the question had been forgotten when she had been cut off by the other motorist.

"You see, that answer is why I've kidnapped you, Kim Possible." The man's mood had visibly deteriorated, and he spoke with a more sinister tone. "If I had walked up to you on a public street and asked the same question, would you have answered me any differently?"

"No."

"Exactly. If I had asked you publicly, you would have known that I intended to force you to come with me, and you would have been able to fight me off in order to prohibit me from kidnapping you. However, by kidnapping you first, I avoid making my intentions known to you, and thereby take you by surprise and avoid any setbacks on my own part. I can also interrogate you at my leisure should you prove less cooperative than I would like."

Kim now understood perfectly why she had been kidnapped, and she didn't like the direction this situation was taking, either. She sighed, then rubbed her forehead.

"So," the man said, his voice civil once more, "I'll ask once more before I turn to less pleasant methods. Where have you hidden the microchip that you stole from Drakken?"

Kim thought for a moment, then made a decision. Looking the man in the eye, she said, "I'm sorry, but I still refuse to give you that information."

"Very well; you've made your choice. Rick!" The blonde-haired subordinate re-entered the room, ready for orders, with the two armed men behind him. "Take Kim back to her quarters."

Rick stepped forward, and Kim stood.

"By the way," the black-haired man said, "My name is Walter Baron."


	4. Chapter 4

**AGAIN, THE KIM POSSIBLE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE. RICK OWENS AND WALTER BARON ARE. THE TV SHOW KIM POSSIBLE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, BUT THIS PARTICULAR STORY DOES.**

PART 4:

Ron paced back and forth in his room, fuming. Global Justice hadn't been able to do much of anything to help him, Wade, or Kim's family find the missing heroine. Not only that, but Dr. Director had been the one to get Kim into this mess; by asking her to hide that microchip, the head of GJ had signed a contract with a criminal, presenting Kim to her kidnapper on a golden platter. The Possibles hadn't been too happy about that, either, and the twins had been working for the past two days, without sleep, on a tracking device that would find Kim by using her DNA; so far they hadn't had much luck.

However _un_helpful GJ might have been, though, they did send armed agents to protect all of Kim's family and friends; two men stood outside Ron's door, while several others were stationed around the house. There were more at the Possible home and at Wade's house, and Dr. Director had ordered the agents to stay with them for however long it took to get Kim back home.

Dr. Director, after watching Wade's video feed, had also provided the name of Kim's kidnapper: Rick Owens. The man was a professional bounty hunter and, like Kim, was incredibly experienced in Kung Fu, the deadliest fighting form known to man. Dr. Director had also mentioned that although Rick only knew one form of Kung Fu as opposed to Kim's impressive sixteen, Owens was the fastest man anyone had ever seen. Global Justice had once hired him to train some of their men, but no one had ever beaten him; he was simply too fast.

_'No wonder the guy was able to take her captive.' _Ron thought. _'KP may finally have met her match.'_

There was no doubt that if she tried to escape, she could be seriously hurt, or even killed, before she got far. Even Kim couldn't compete with Rick's incredible speed.

Ron snapped out of his trance as the Kimmunicator beeped. He grabbed it off of his bed and answered. "Anything new, Wade?"

"I've got more information on this Owens guy for you. Apparently, he's always been the kind to put criminals behind bars."

"You mean like Kim." Ron stated.

"Yeah, but I don't know why he would turn to kidnapping. Kim's known across the globe for what she does on a daily basis, so unless Rick's gone criminal, someone's got him under their thumb."

"Which means he's working for someone."

"Right."

"You think you can find out who?"

"It'll be hard. The criminals are all keeping pretty quiet."

"I guess the only thing to do now is let the twins to finish their new pet project. It kills me to know that I can't do anything to help Kim." Ron struggled to control the rage and worry that threatened to break out of him.

"Me too, Ron, but all we can do is wait. You know that."

With that statement, Ron's heart was torn in half; a barrier broke, releasing floodwaters of anger and concern. "I KNOW, WADE, OKAY? I REALIZE THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I CAN DO!! I REALIZE KIM WAS ON HER WAY TO _**MY **_HOUSE YESTERDAY WHEN SHE WAS KIDNAPPED AND TAKEN TO HEAVEN KNOWS WHERE!!"

The two guards that had been standing in the hall rushed into the room, ready to confront a threat. Ron saw them and took a deep breath, trying to relax.

"It's okay; I'm fine. You can leave." The agents reluctantly exited the room, closing the door behind themselves.

Wade was silent for a few seconds, sorry for upsetting his friend. "I know you're hurting Ron, but it's not your fault she was kidnapped. If anyone is to blame, it's Dr. Director. And Kim knew the risks."

"Not well enough." Ron mumbled, allowing a single tear to make its way down his right cheek. "She and Dr. Director thought it would be _Drakken and Shego_ to steal the microchip, but now it's some criminal who's either done this before, or who's just really smart." Ron pressed his hands to his face and tilted his head back. "Ugh, what are we going to do, Wade?"

"I don't know, Ron. You could have the twins bring me their tracker, but I doubt I could give them help they don't need."

Ron sighed. "I guess you're right, Wade. The only thing we have on our side now is patience. I guess we have no choice but to go with the flow."

xxxxxxxxxx

After Kim had left the room, Walter stood and stretched. He had suspected that the girl wouldn't tell him where the microchip was, but if he had approached her on the street, she would have seen her abduction coming the instant she said no. Besides, he may be a mastermind planning the conquest of his worldwide empire, but he couldn't neglect his manners; he had to, at the very least, demonstrate proper etiquette by asking nicely.

However, he'd always been rather impatient. Asking politely more than once was a burden he wouldn't carry, especially at his age, but when patience didn't work, he was much better at being "persuasive". Walter headed down the hall toward his office. He needed a break before the interrogation began.

xxxxxxxxxx

When Kim Possible made up her mind about something, it was difficult to persuade her otherwise. She still didn't like the way this whole thing was going, though, and she was beginning to think she should have told Baron where to find the microchip. That way he'd have released her, and she would have had the opportunity to chase him down afterward.

Yet, there had been no guarantee that he'd have let her go after her telling him, and even if he did, he more than likely would have kept her confined until he had a chance to disappear. The guy was smart, she had to admit, and he seemed determined to out-play her, no matter what. She briefly wondered if he played chess, but the question was pushed out of her mind by the realization that she had made the best decision by withholding the microchip's location from Baron.

All of this went through Kim's mind as she was being guided the short distance back to her cell, and she didn't enjoy contemplating the implications of it all.

As soon as the door was safely sealed behind her, Kim began to explore her room, looking for any sort of flaw in its design that might allow her a way out. She looked at the skylight.

There were no handholds on or near the skylight that she could grab onto. . . . except maybe the camera. . . . Kim smiled. The surveillance device appeared to be made for durability.

Kim looked at the padded floor on which she stood and her brow furrowed in thought. The padding would make a leap difficult, but she was strong enough, and determination was on her side. She smiled again, knowing she was only a minute from leaving Baron's compound.

The camera was mounted near the side of the skylight opposite Kim, so she moved to the other side of the room, the security device following her movement, and turned to face the skylight. She backed up against the wall and stripped the splint from her left wrist; it would only hinder her in the plan she had in mind. She tossed the remains of the splint aside and set her eyes on the security camera.

_'Here goes.' _She thought.

xxxxxxxxxx

Baron watched as Kim made a run at the camera and blinked in surprise when his view of the white padded room was jarred out of focus. With a grim realization of the girl's intentions, he pressed a button on his personal intercom and spoke into the microphone.

"Rick. . ."

xxxxxxxxxx

_Success!!_

Kim ran forward, leaped into the air, and grabbed the security camera. Ignoring the sharp pain in her wrist, and with the help of her cheerleading skills, she flexed her abdominal muscles and swung her feet upward. Using all of her strength, she drove her heels into the yellow-colored Plexiglas covering the skylight. The pane remained unbroken, but it was forced off of the now-stripped screws that had held it in place and it fell to the floor. Kim released the camera and dropped into a crouching position next to the Plexiglas, then looked up. Her excitement was replaced with dismay.

What she saw was not actually a skylight, but a series of yellowing incandescent bulbs lined up one next to the other inside a recess in the ceiling.

Kim glared at the light source and was about to resign herself to defeat when something caught her eye. She moved directly underneath the opening and took a closer look. A grin formed on her lips.

The light bulbs rested at the center of a three-way intersection inside the ventilation system. One passage led away from the main vent, leading to Kim's left and traveling toward the door of her room. The main shaft traveled in a direction perpendicular to the first, leading to other places in the compound. She would be able to escape after all.

Kim backed up to the wall again and made another run at the camera, this time swinging her body up and backward into the main ventilation shaft. None too soon, the door in the room below began to emit its characteristic grinding sound, the telltale noise of the lock disengaging. Kim stretched her body across the hole in the ceiling and crawled into the ventilation shaft that led out of the room. She'd only gone a few feet, but she stopped when the grinding noise ceased; there was no point in telling her captors where she was.

Kim could hear the henchmen's equipment clattering on their belts as they stepped into the room. Rick's voice soon drowned it out.

"You two, stay here in case she comes out! The rest of you come with me!" There was a quiet snap, then, "Baron, sir, she's escaped. I'm leaving two men here to keep an eye out. Request reinforcements. Over."

Baron's voice returned with, "I can see she's escaped! I'm watching the camera! Stop wasting time talking and start searching! Your reinforcements are already on the way!"

Rick grunted and Kim could hear the remainder of the search team leave. She began to creep down the ventilation shaft, moving slowly and quietly so as to remain as silent as possible. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, she came to another intersection in the shaft. She presumed that the one leading to the right would direct her into the room where she had met Baron before, so she proceeded left, picking up the pace a little when she had gone a few feet.

After another five minutes, she stopped and pressed her ear to the bottom of the vent. She couldn't hear anything below, so she kept moving. Twice she came across intersections in the ventilation shaft that led to both the right and the left. At the second one she turned right, then crawled until she came to another intersection. She made a left this time, memorizing her progress so that she would be able to return if she came upon a dead end. She went straight through the next intersection, and after that came to an area that ran four ways: forward, backward, left, and right. Another set of bulbs lit the area ahead, so Kim made her way there and stopped at the edge of the ventilation shaft.

Inching forward so that she wouldn't block any light, Kim peeked over the edge of the metal vent and looked down. The floor in this room was metal, like the hallways, and as far as she could tell, there were no guards in the room, but she couldn't be too careful. She noticed another security camera at the opposite end of the opening, panning left and right in search of her. It had a complete 360-degree view of the room below, but not all at once, so perhaps if she played this right, she could escape without being seen.

Kim pressed her ear to the vent again and was relieved to find that there was no one in the room that she could hear. Her only disadvantage was that when the Plexiglas windowpane went toppling to the floor, it would be loud, and the resulting flood of henchmen was something she wasn't looking forward to.

Kim maneuvered herself into position underneath the light bulbs and braced her hands on the top of the vent on either side of the row of lights. She waited for the camera to turn away from her, then made her move. Using her body like a car jack, she pressed down with her feet and up with her hands. The resulting stress caused the Plexiglas to slip off the screws, wearing them smooth, and the Plexiglas dropped away beneath Kim. Before she could fall out of reach, she grabbed the edge of the vent and quickly released it, controlling her fall to the floor below.

The Plexiglas had clattered to the floor, creating a noise like a child beating on a large drum, but Kim was already moving. At first she had stood directly under the camera so that it couldn't see her, but now she spotted the doorway that led out into the main hallway. Taking a quick look around, Kim noticed that at the back of the room there was a door with a button next to it; an arrow painted on the button pointed up, and Kim realized with surprise that the door was that of an elevator, and that she must be underground.

Shouts of alarm swept up the hallway and into the room, spurring Kim into action. She made a break for the elevator and pressed the button, but the door did not open. She punched the button again and listened for sounds inside the elevator shaft, but there was only silence. Kim realized with dismay that Baron had shut down the device in order to prohibit her escape, so she revised her plan and ran straight toward the hallway. She was halfway there when Baron rushed in, Rick and a dozen henchmen behind.

Kim didn't stop. She kept running, even as the men lifted their dart guns and Rick shifted into a fighting pose; it took Kim a split second to recognize one of the sixteen Kung Fu stances she had learned. Just as the henchmen fired their dart guns, she leapt into the air and shifted into a flying kick. Without time to react, Rick watched as Kim barreled into one of the helmeted mercenaries. She had aimed her kick into the man's chest. He let out a muffled 'oomph' from within his helmet as he was thrown backward off of his feet, then landed on the floor with a loud 'AGH!'. Duck-rolling through the crowd and into the hallway, and tripping several men on the way, she managed to get to her feet and took off down the hall.

xxxxxxxxxx

Baron stood in silent rage as he listened to Possible's fading footsteps. Shaking off his newfound stupor, he glanced at Rick, who seemed to be shocked as well. He had dropped his stance and was staring into the hallway.

"What are you waiting for?!" Baron yelled. "After her!! NOW! She turned left!" As soon as he was finished speaking, he began to pace with all the ferocity of a caged lion.

Rick snapped back to reality and took off after Kim, signalling the henchmen to follow him as he disappeared down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

**I DON'T OWN KP! ONLY THIS STORY, WALTER, AND RICK ARE MINE! THE KP CHARACTERS BELONG TO DISNEY!**

PART 5:

Kim had no idea where the exit was to this place, but she had every intention of finding out. It didn't matter how long she had to hide, or how long she had to avoid Baron's men; she would get out, find out where she was, and get home. Global Justice had to know by now that she was gone, and they were sure to be looking for her; it wouldn't be at all difficult to find an agent. At least, assuming she was anywhere near Middleton.

After making the left turn she had needed to escape, Kim paused very briefly at the nearest door, which was the first one to her right. It was locked, so she wasted no time in continuing down the hall.

Kim could hear Baron yelling in the other room, so she turned down a right-side hallway. She didn't stop again because now she heard footsteps rapidly gaining on her. She made another right at the next intersection, then turned left, hoping to throw off her pursuers, whose footsteps already seemed to be growing more and more quiet, so quiet in fact, Kim took a risk and went straight through the next set of hallways without turning.

Big mistake.

There was only one way to turn next: left.

So she did.

What she saw was a huge set of oak double-doors. In the left one was carved a huge W, and in the right a B. Apparently this was Baron's office. Kim entered and closed the door behind her before turning around to view the room. As she turned her back to the door, she stopped and stared, stunned by the number of books contained on the walls. The office was like a library! Even the desk was enormous, large enough even for her father to work on rocket schematics without using up half of the surface space!

Kim walked around the room, surveying the titles of the books there. Most of them were really old literature and Shakespeare, but there were a few newer novels in a secluded corner, hidden from the casual eye. There was a computer on the desk, too. Kim approached it and placed her hand on the mouse. The screen came to life, revealing the images being captured by the security cameras. So far Baron's men hadn't even thought to search in his office. They were too busy eliminating the other rooms as possible hiding places.

Kim checked the feed from the room she'd left Baron in. Baron wasn't there. That's when Kim spotted him, coming down the hallway, heading toward his office. She quickly engaged the sleep mode on the computer and crouched in the foot-space under the desk, disappearing from view just as the door opened and Baron stormed in with Rick on his heels.

"How could you let her escape?" Walter yelled. She has a injured wrist, and she was contained in a safe-room! You call yourself a professional?"

"I _am_ a professional." Rick retorted. "I'll find her. It wasn't exactly _my_ fault she escaped, anyway. You should have kept her restrained. You know how good she is."

"It doesn't matter now, at any rate." Baron sighed. "Just go. Track her down, because if you don't, we fail, and if we fail, we'll both end up in her shoes in a Global Justice cell somewhere. Bring her to the main chamber when you find her."

Rick promptly left the room, closing the door behind himself.

As soon as his subordinate was gone, Baron flew into a frenzy, flinging the books off of the shelves, throwing them across the room, and cursing in ways creative enough to put Leonardo da Vinci to shame. When Baron's fury subsided, he straightened his jacket, took a deep breath, and left the room, locking the door from the hallway after he'd shut it.

Kim crawled cautiously out from under the desk and looked at the destruction around her. Now she was scared; with a temper like that, Baron was a dangerous man, especially if he had the intelligence his office, and his speech, suggested. Kim again accessed the computer with its security feeds and watched as Baron made his way back into what he had called the 'main chamber'. As soon as she knew she was safe, she pulled up an Internet window and opened her website, preparing a video feed through which she could speak with Wade. It didn't take him long to answer her call.

"Kim! My God! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Wade, but I probably don't have much time before Baron comes back."

"Who's Baron?"

"Walter Baron. He's the guy who had me kidnapped."

"By Rick Owens."

"Yeah. How did you-? Nevermind. Later. Right now I need you to run a trace to find out where I am."

"Okay, just a second. . .done! You're a fair distance away from Middleton, about a hundred and fifty miles, but I'm reading you as being underground, in a complex of some kind. It's under a mansion, accessible only by two elevators: one in the office where you are, and another near a large square chamber down the hall from you. But Kim, I have bad news. The elevator in the office is password protected and fingerprint activated."

"Thanks, Wade. I'll just have to try and get out the hard way. See you later."

"Wait! Kim, I need you to tell me where the microchip is! Global Justice found Drakken and Shego, so it can be returned to Mendel!"

"Sorry, Wade, but Baron kidnapped me for the microchip's location, and he probably has access to everything that happens on this computer. If I tell you here, he'll find out for sure. I'll tell you when I get back. See you in-"

At just that moment, the doorknob turned, the door opened, and Baron walked in, surrounded by Rick and another dozen henchmen.

Wade saw Kim hesitate. "Kim? What's happening? Is that Walter?"

"Yes, Wade. He just walked in." Without looking away from her kidnappers, Kim grabbed the computer screen and swiveled it so Wade could get a good look at Baron, who was standing in the office doorway with a fiendish snarl on his face. He glanced at Rick.

"What are you waiting for? Kingdom Come? Seize her!" After that, everything happened in slow motion. The henchmen raised their dart guns at exactly the same moment that Kim stood. The men fired, and Kim ducked, evading the small projectiles with ease as they embedded themselves in Baron's wing-back chair. When the darts passed, she stood up and leaped over the desk, landing on the floor in front of the desk and lashing out with a kick at Baron's chest. Her foot never connected.

Rick stepped in front of Baron, blocked the blow, and lashed out with his own foot.

"Be careful, Kim!" Wade yelled as Kim ducked the blow. "Rick knows Kung Fu, and he's faster than you! One wrong move and you're down for the count!"

"Thanks, Wade! I got it. Call GJ, but don't hang up this line! If I'm recaptured, you'll have to tell them!"

"Got it, Kim!"

"Sorry. That's not going to happen." Said Walter. "Rick, eliminate that computer!"

Rick moved so fast that Kim had a hard time tracking the motion, but he was instantly next to the desk, his elbow through the computer screen. Wade's shocked face disappeared.

Kim took the opening to her advantage, moving toward the door with every intention of breaking through the line of henchmen there, but as soon as she entered the group, they surrounded her and grabbed at her. Feeling determined, Kim kneed the nearest man in the groin and grabbed his gun, turning and aiming it at the next mercenary in line, but Baron was already there. He grabbed the gun, and with one vicious move, twisted it out of her hands. He lifted the weapon and jabbed forward with the stock, scoring a solid blow to the center of Kim's forehead. She fell to one knee, dazed. Baron turned the gun around and took hold of the stock. He promptly pointed it at the girl's torso and pulled the trigger.

As the dart hit Kim's chest, she felt as if she had been punched with a boxing glove full of lead, but that hardly mattered when the substance inside the needle took effect. First, a tingling sensation entered her blood vessels, but soon it was overpowered by a new feeling: fire. It was in her heart, stopping all awareness of her surroundings.

Kim's other knee hit the floor as she doubled over, gasping in pain, then half-growling in an effort to block it. Nothing worked. The sensation intensified until it was all she knew. Grey began to creep in at the edges of everything she saw, then her vision began to flicker. One of the last things she saw was Baron standing above her with the dart gun. Then he kicked her in the side, banishing the last of her consciousness.

"What?" Ron exclaimed. "When did she call you?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I have a lock on her last known location. If we can get Global Justice there, we can find Kim and get her out."

"How can we be sure she's there?" Ron asked.

Two young voices jumped in from the doorway. "With this!" They said in unison.

Ron turned to see the tweebs holding up a small device. "Is that the DNA tracker?"

"Yep." Said Tim. "Now all we need-"

"-is a hair sample." Finished Jim.


	6. Chapter 6

**I DON'T OWN KP! JUST THIS STORY, WALTER, AND RICK! THE KP CHARACTERS BELONG TO DISNEY!**

**PART 6:**

Gradually the hot pain subsided, leaving a coldness in Kim's chest that felt like a trip into the core of the Arctic. Then there was the smell. It was so strong that it banished the cold and threw her headfirst into awareness. She hit reality with all the force of a meteorite striking Earth's surface.

When she opened her eyes, Kim saw a fuzzy Baron standing in front of her with a vile of smelling salts. The second thing that she noticed was that she was suspended just above the surface of the floor, her hands spread apart above her head while her feet were tied together and tethered to the shiny metal surface below her. The binding around her left wrist was irritating the injury, and the sprained joint felt on fire as the swelling returned.

Kim slowly lifted her head, trying to clear her vision a little more. She took a deep breath, then let it out with a huff.

"I have to admit, I admire your determination." Baron said. "However, it will hinder me no longer. Where is the microchip?"

"Why do you want it so bad?" Kim asked. "What's so important that you have to torture me for it?"

"I have my own plan for the future, Miss Possible. I will create a system to beat them all."

"Drakken alrea-."

"DRAKKEN WAS A FOOL!" Baron spat. "He foolishly would have limited himself to one simple satellite and bound himself to where it lay in space, but I have a far more effective method of world domination: duplication."

"What?" Kim was having a hard time following what Baron was trying to say.

"I will copy that microchip and attach it to every missile this country owns. When I have accomplished that, No one will have any choice but to bow to my will or be terminated. Not even Global Justice with all of its special, highly-trained agents will be able to prevent me from completing my objective."

"You seem to have a knack for underestimating people. How do you know they won't train others and organize an uprising?"

"I know because I will have you to persuade them. You will be the hostage of all hostages, the one thing that keeps the rest of the world in check. But enough. You are not the one who should be asking questions here. I am. Unfortunately for me, your family reacted quickly, and without hesitation. Global Justice has placed guards around them and your friends to keep them safe, so I wasn't able to capture anyone to help me persuade _you_, but I think this will do just fine."

Baron motioned to a person standing behind Kim. She turned her head to see who it was, and realized it was Rick. He stood with a whip in his hand and an expression of disdain on his face. "Sorry." He sneered.

Baron directed his attention back to Kim. "I will begin by asking you the question. For each time you refuse to answer, I will add a lash to the subsequent punishment."

Kim had made her decision, and she wasn't backing down. She grinned. "Sorry." She smirked. "No microchip."

Baron looked at Rick, who shook his head in amusement and pulled back his arm, then let fly the whip.

Kim felt a line of fire burn its way up her back, and she hoped that she would be able to hold out until help arrived.

Baron, upon seeing Kim's reaction to the whip, adopted a smug expression. "Are you ready to give in?" He asked.

Kim took a deep breath, preparing herself for more pain. "No."

Rick regained his composure and steeled himself, pulling back his arm yet again. Then he cracked the whip, twice this time. And this time, the true pain began. With each new laceration, Kim's misery grew, and she had to try harder and harder to keep herself from blurting out the hiding place.

By the time Baron had punished Kim for a fifth 'No' her shirt was in tatters, and blood flowed freely down her back, staining her capris and dripping onto the silver floor in small red splotches. She was beginning to feel light-headed and queasy, and her vision flickered frequently. She hung her head and stared at the floor; she could see a growing red shape below her feet and realized it was her blood.

"How can you continue with this?" Baron asked; pure confusion was written on his face.

Kim didn't answer.

Baron repeated his question. "How is it you can bear so much?"

Still Kim remained silent.

Baron's face contorted with rage at being ignored; he stepped forward and grabbed Kim's throat, digging his fingers into her windpipe. "You have no idea what you're up against, Miss Possible. I have the means to cause you much more pain than this. I can-" Baron stopped short when he realized that Kim's eyes were closed, and that she was taking deep, shuddering breaths. She had passed out. Baron released the teen's neck and turned around, fixing his gaze on the wall. He began to speak again. "Rick, get her down. Global Justice will be here soon. We're leaving, and we're taking her with us."

With one smooth motion, Rick unsheathed a knife from his belt and sliced the bonds from Kim's ankles, then moved up to her hands. As the teenager fell into his arms, he averted his eyes from the girl's mostly bare body, which was now covered only by her still-intact capris and her sports bra. Miraculously, the undergarment had been spared from the bite of the whip.

"Come." Said Baron, leading the way out of the room. Rick followed.

Even over the drone of the troop transport chopper, Dr. Director could be heard giving orders to the small army of Global Justice agents.

"All right, everyone, here's how it's going down. Thanks to Wade's infrared scans of the building, we know where all potential exits are. I want each of them watched. If Baron wants to leave, he has to go through us to do it. Once all of the exits are covered, Ron, with Wade's help, will lead the rest of us inside to find Kim and arrest Baron. I want no mistakes, people!"

In unison, all of the agents in the chopper yelled, "Yes, Director!"

'Good.' She thought as she settled back down into her seat and strapped herself in. 'This will be a piece of cake.'

A few short minutes later, the chopper touched down outside of Baron's house and released its load of highly trained law enforcement officers plus Ron, Jim, and Tim, onto the perfectly trimmed front lawn. Quickly securing the exits as they had been told, the agents soon had the mansion surrounded. Then they gave Dr. Director the O.K.

"Are you ready, Ron?" She asked the anxious teenager at her side.

"I've been ready for the past twenty-four hours." Came the reply.

Activating the Kimmunicator, Ron stepped forward and prepared to enter the house.

"Ready, Ron?" Wade asked.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Although the GJ agents had already secured the premises, Ron continued to scan the area; one never knew when, where, or how a threat would present itself.

"I'm reading a group of three people, probably Kim, Baron , and Rick, in the deepest room of the compound, secluded from everyone else. The interrogation's already underway, Ron. Hurry."

Ron picked up the pace, moving boldly through the nearest door.

"Okay, Ron," Wade said, "there should be an elevator in the master bedroom. Go into the hallway and make a right."

Ron moved forward and turned right when he reached the hall.

"Good. The bedroom should be just ahead."

Ron, with Dr. Director and the twins in tow, approached the door and pushed it open. The elevator was plainly visible inside the closet. What an original place to hide it. Ron entered the metal-lined box and the remainder of the group followed him in. Dr. Director pressed the necessary button, and the doors slid closed with a quiet rasping noise. The elevator reached the bottom of the shaft without event.

When the doors slid open, a collective gasp went up from the people in the elevator.

The once beautiful office was in shambles, books strewn across the floor, a computer smashed, and several spent tranquilizer darts planted in the swivel chair behind the huge oak desk.

"My God." Dr. Director whispered. Her voice immediately became more serious. "Weapons ready!"

The four GJ agents raised their assault rifles and formed a protective ring around Ron and the twins. Dr. Director un-holstered a pistol and took point. She then proceeded to lead the group into the hallway.

"Which way, Wade?" Ron asked.

"You'll come to a turn in the hallway. The only direction you can go is right. After that, it's a left, then a straight shot to the main chamber."

Dr. Director instantly brought her handgun to eye level and strode down the hall, making for the indicated room. When she reached the main chamber, she asked Ron which room Kim was supposed to be in.

"Wade says it's the left one on the back wall."

"Good. Jim, Tim, is that what your tracker says?" She made a move toward the door when the twins nodded, but paused when she noticed that the trio of children was following her. "I'm sorry, guys. You'll have to wait out here."

"You know I have a right to go in there!" Ron argued. "She'd do the same for me, and you know I can defend myself!"

"I know, Ron, but Jim and Tim can't stay out here by themselves, and I'm not in a position to give up any of my men at this point to protect them. You have to stay here."

"No. I need to see this Baron guy for myself. I would very much love to give him a piece of my mind. And maybe my fist." Ron was vaguely amused by how terrible that comment sounded; it had certainly sounded better in his mind.

Dr. Director hesitated. If the rumors of Ron's power were true, he would be worth at least two of her agents together. "Fine. You two," she said to the nearest two officers, "stay with the twins. Stoppable's coming with me."

The men nodded and took up positions on either side of Jim and Tim.

"Here." Jim said, handing Ron the tracker. "You need this more than we do right now."

"Yeah." Tim added. "Bring Sis back!"

Ron nodded and peeked at the glowing screen on the DNA tracker. Then he looked at Dr. Director. "I think we've waited long enough. Let's do this."

Dr. Director nodded and neared the door behind which Kim was being held. She reached for the doorknob.

"Ron, wait. Something's-" Wade's voice said through the Kimmunicator, but it was too late. Dr. Director opened the door, and an all-out battle ensued.

Ron wasn't sure what happened first, but he caught a glimpse of something silver rushing past his face, and when he turned to see what it was, he saw a GJ agent behind him doubled over with his arms wrapped over his stomach and a dart protruding from his shoulder. He whipped his head back around to see what was going on inside the room and felt another dart whisk past his ear. He leaped into action.

Even though they hadn't expected such a war, the remaining GJ agents fought well, moving with swiftness and precision. Firing their weapons only when necessary, and only to wound, the officers had the room cleared and locked down in a matter of about one minute. Then the number of henchmen was counted. There had been fifteen of them hidden in the room. One of the GJ agents whistled in surprise.

"All right." Dr. Director said. "Cuff these guys together and get them outside. I want transport ready for all of them. And take care of him." She commanded, pointing to the downed officer.

Soon, the only people left in the room were Dr. Director, Ron, and the twins. Kim was nowhere to be found.

"I thought there were only supposed to be three people in this room." Dr. Director commented once the rest had left.

"There were." Wade said. "But my scans pick up the most prevalent heat signatures. They must have been expecting you, so they hid most of the men."

Ron looked down at the DNA tracker, confused. Then he became angry. "I thought you said it was ready!" He shouted at the twins.

"It is!" They yelled back in unison.

"Then how could it have led us here?! It was supposed to find-" Ron stopped short when he noticed a large, irregular dark spot, in the middle of the floor. He looked as though he had been clubbed in the stomach with a baseball bat. His breathing sped up as he began to panic.

Dr. Director followed his gaze and froze. The twins closed their eyes and turned away.

"Ron, what is it?" Wade asked. "What's wrong with the tracker?"

"The tracker works, Wade."

"Then what's wrong? Where's Kim?"

"Kim's here, Wade. At least, according to the tracker. It's programmed to find the given DNA, not necessarily the person it belongs to." To emphasize his point, Ron turned the Kimmunicator to face the splotch on the floor. Wade didn't make a sound. He just typed in a command on his computer. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and angry.

"Baron's helicopter is still outside, which means he took a car." Wade's voice adopted a noticeable shade of confusion. "What was he thinking? He knows he can't get far in a-." Wade stopped, and a hint of alarm crept into his voice. "Ron, get out of there. I know where Baron is headed."

"What?" Ron wasn't prepared to give up on the hope that Kim could still be saved. "Where?"

"The airport. He has a private jet. He's going to take Kim somewhere overseas. If he escapes, you might not find him for a long time."

"Can't you track it?"

"No. He's equipped it with a cloaking device."

**AUTHOUR'S NOTE:** Thank you guys for reading! It's good to know that I can keep my audience interested. As an aspiring novelist, I really appreciate it. This is probably the last quick publishing you'll see for a while. I now have to revise my last two chapters because I'm not happy with how they look, and I may even change it so completely as to extend the story. Well, good bye for now. Hope to have the next one up in the next couple of weeks!


	7. Chapter 7

**AGAIN, KIM POSSIBLE IS NOT MY TV SHOW, AND THE CHARACTERS IN IT DO NOT BELONG TO ME. BARON AND RICK, HOWEVER, ARE MINE, AS IS THIS STORY.**

PART: 7

The delivery van moved along the street with a slow deliberate-ness, rumbling to a stop in front of a traffic light. To anyone nearby, it was just a van, but what is seen is not always what is true.

Inside the van, a chair was bolted to the floor. Tied to the chair was a teen-aged girl with long red hair and brilliant green eyes. In those eyes was pain, pure and fresh.

Rick sat in the driver's seat, scanning the street ahead for law enforcement officers as he drove. The light turned green and he accelerated through the intersection, moving with the flow of traffic.

Baron stood next to Kim, holding onto a rope tied to a ring in the ceiling. The girl had woken since being tied to the chair in the van, and he glared at her with newfound hatred. "I capture you and take you to a compound far away from your home, lock you in a cell, and hold you against your will. Yet you still manage to cause me grief. You somehow escape your captors, get into my office, and contact your friends, who are now probably swarming over my home in an attempt to find us. I realize that your family motto is a ridiculous play on words, but I never thought it so true. If your friends somehow manage to stop me, however, I will be truly impressed. You may be able to do anything, but you are in no condition at this point to hinder my design, and there is no doubt that your friends have less luck than you."

Kim didn't bother with a response. The pain wracking her body was too great. It was bad enough that she was tied to a chair that was causing her fresh torment, but the seat had been bolted to the floor of a moving vehicle; every bump and jolt was a new agony for her. She had never before felt as weak and helpless as she felt at this moment. She locked her jaws shut as the van passed over a crack in the street.

"Sir," Rick said, "the airport is just ahead."

"Just move around to the plane. No one should give you any trouble; they know my vehicles, but if they try to stop you, just kill them."

Near-silence engulfed the van for a few moments as Rick maneuvered it through the check-in. Then the engine's dull rumbling could be heard as he accelerated toward Baron's private jet. When the vehicle came to a stop, Rick exited, moved to the back of the vehicle, and opened the rear door.

Walter stepped out so that Rick would have room to maneuver, then proceeded toward the large black jet that stood before the van. He removed a small remote from the inside of his jacket and pressed a button. A large door unfolded from the side of the aircraft and extended itself to the ground, producing a staircase that led eight feet up to the interior of the plane.

Ron was still engaging his safety harness when the helicopter jumped from the ground like a frightened cat. It rose almost too fast, then accelerated toward the North. Ron punched the call button on the Kimmunicator. Wade picked up immediately.

"Ron, I've tapped into the security systems at the airport. I can see a white van on the tarmac, sitting next to a black jet. Rick just pulled Kim out of the van and he's carrying her toward the pl-"

"Carrying?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell if she's-"

"Don't worry, Ron. She's alive. She's awake, too, but she looks pretty weak." Something caught Wade's eye as he watched the footage. He was instantly angry, and Ron noted with some surprise that he had never heard the techie growl before.

"What's wrong, Wade?"

"I know where the blood came from."

Nausea swept over Ron as he remembered the dark shape in the center of the interrogation room floor. Though he dreaded the answer, he allowed himself to ask, "Where?"

"Walter had her whipped."

Ron almost threw up right there in the chopper, but he clapped a hand over his mouth and managed to control himself for Dr. Director's sake. Betty, however, seemed very close to doing the same to Ron. Jim and Tim paled and swallowed hard.

Before anything else could be said, the pilot's voice flared through a loudspeaker mounted inside the chopper. "ETA, one minute!" The helicopter began to descend as it moved forward.

"LOCK AND LOAD!" Dr. Director yelled. "IF ANYONE DIES, IT IS **NOT** POSSIBLE! AVOID KILLING RICK , TOO! TAKE BARON ALIVE IF YOU CAN, BUT **DON'T** HESITATE TO KILL HIM IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST!!"

"Yes, Director!"

It all came down to this. Ron gave Wade a 'good-bye' and shut off the Kimmuicator, then stuffed the device into his pocket and prepared himself for what he knew would be a battle. The helicopter ceased its forward movement and continued to descend toward the tarmac.

Kim sat alone in the passenger area of the plane, waiting for one of the men in the cockpit to return and close the cabin door. She knew that as soon as the air lock was engaged, the door would not open again until she was somewhere on the other side of the planet. She would be completely exposed to whatever punishment Baron decided to give her next. She sighed with a mixture of despair and pain, then held her breath as a familiar sound reached her ears.

Another few seconds passed before Kim could allow herself to believe the truth, that she was able to identify the sound of a helicopter hovering outside; the noise of the spinning rotors pounded her ears. She looked out the window, and recognizing a Global Justice chopper, stood to leave. This was her last chance at freedom, and she wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

She was just a few seconds too late. Kim was halfway to the door of the plane when a hand wrapped itself around the back of her neck and lifted her off of the floor.

Baron, having heard the sound of the aircraft outside, had come from the cockpit to investigate, and when he'd seen the object of his frustration attempting another escape, he acted. He turned Kim to face him.

"You thought escape would be as easy as simply walking out?"

Kim's eyes flicked to Baron's face, and her response was as cold as her kidnapper's heart. "I certainly didn't think you would be smart enough to make it difficult."

Baron's response was to walk to the door of the plane.

The helicopter had just landed and GJ agents were pouring out onto the tarmac, rifles at the ready. Baron also noticed the director of Global Justice with her handgun and the blonde-haired boy known as Ron Stoppable, Kim's boyfriend and sidekick; the boy carried no visible weapons, but glared at Baron with all the intensity of an enraged dragon. Two young twins remained inside the helicopter, and Baron briefly wondered why they had been brought along.

The chopper's engines began to power down.

Baron spoke. "Come no closer!"

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Dr. Director silenced him and gave a command of her own. "Release Kim!"

"Do you honestly believe that I will let go of the only bargaining chip I have? Are you that much of a fool?!"

Kim grabbed at Baron's hands, but to no avail; his grip was like a steel vise. It wasn't an issue of respiration. She could _breathe_ just fine, but she was not comfortable. "Let me go! Ron!"

"KP!" Ron shouted, his voice filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

"ENOUGH!!" Baron roared. "I will have none of this petty jabber. If you value this girl's life at all, you will either persuade her to tell me where Mendel's microchip is, or you will go find it for me! As I understand it, Mr. Stoppable has very keen feelings for Miss Possible here. Let _him_ get the answers!"

Ron gave Walter a look that could melt ice and turn any glacier into a volcano. He didn't speak.

"You refuse? Fine." Baron tightened his grip on Kim. She grimaced when pain bloomed in the vertebrae along her neck.

Ron's expression softened. "Kim!" Tears formed in his eyes as he saw the person he loved in pain, but his rage retook them almost as quickly as it had left. "Let her go!"

Baron loosened his grip, startled at the ferocity he saw in young Stoppable's eyes. Speaking with more courage than what had suddenly fled him, he said, "I will do much more than that if you insist upon trying my patience!" He pulled Kim close to his mouth and whispered in her ear. "Where is it?"

Kim grasped futilely at Walter's hands again before she yelled, "How many times do I have to tell you? You're. Not. Getting. It."

Irate, Baron withdrew into the plane and activated the automatic hydraulic control that closed the door. The protests of those outside could be heard as the airlock engaged and sealed. The jet's engines could be heard powering up; Rick was finally finished preparing the plane for takeoff.

Walter set Kim's feet carefully on the floor, but gentleness was the last thing on his mind. He jabbed the heel of his hand into her upper chest, just below the collarbone. Although the impact of the strike sent her hurtling into the interior wall next to the cockpit door, she somehow managed to remain conscious, but Baron wasn't done yet. He approached Kim and knelt in front of her, listening to her labored breathing for a moment before first slapping her and then driving his fist into her stomach with enough force to make her yell in pain.

"WHERE IS IT!!" He shouted, standing. "YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY TAKE THIS ANY LONGER!"

"The tree." Kim whispered.

Baron cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"Tree."

Baron knelt in front of the girl again. "What tree?"

Kim's eyes met Walter's, but her mouth did not move.

Baron grabbed Kim's throat and slammed her head into the wall. "What tree?" He hissed.

Kim groaned and lost consciousness. Baron released her neck and she tipped to the side, leaving a smear of blood on the wall where her back had been.

From the closing of the door to Kim's passing out, the entire string of events had taken no longer than forty-five seconds.

Baron didn't move. He was too shocked. _Which tree?_


	8. Chapter 8

**I DO NOT OWN KIM POSSIBLE; SHE BELONGS TO DISNEY. KIM, RON, TIM, JIM, DR. DIRECTOR, MR. POSSIBLE, MRS. POSSIBLE, WADE, SHEGO, AND DRAKKEN ALL BELONG TO DISNEY. RICK OWENS AND WALTER BARON, HOWEVER, ARE MINE, AS IS THIS STORY.**

PART 8:

Master Sensei had taught Ron many things during his long, painful, and stressful training sessions, not the least of which was how to read his opponent's body language. Ron's connection with the Lotus Blade, however, gave him the ability not only to read body language, but to sense the _emotions_ of others, and he could tell that Baron was not at all emboldened by his anger. The man knew that Ron had something that other teenagers did not, and that he would use it if he had to. There was also a sense of relief that grew with every second that the plane's engines gained power.

Ron watched as Baron whispered into Kim's ear; he could see Walter's lips forming words, and although none of them made it to young Stoppable's own ears, he could make out the question that was being posed. _'Where is it?'_

While Kim's answer left Ron's heart somewhere in his stomach, Baron's reaction drove the teenager's adrenaline levels to some location near the stratosphere. No sooner did Ron sense Baron's sinister intent than he summoned the Lotus Blade with his mind. The small five seconds that it took for the sword to reach him from Japan seemed like five minutes, but as soon as he felt the familiar hilt in his right hand, he ran his left along the blade. He turned the sword so that he could see his reflection in its blade. His face had turned blue, but he was unbothered by it. All he cared about now was getting Kim back before Baron's jet had a chance to lift itself into the sky.

Dr. Director saw the exchange between Kim and Baron take a turn for the worse and immediately glanced at Ron to observe his reaction. The young man had lifted his right hand into the air as if expecting to catch something, and his entire complexion had taken on a blue color that would have scared her unconscious had she not heard about it from other sources first.

About one second later, she flinched in expectancy of death as a gleaming sword somersaulted out of the sky and placed its hilt into Ron's waiting hand. Ron ran his free hand down the blade and checked his reflection on one of the sword's flat sides. He seemed not to notice that his skin had taken on a blue pallor. He turned the sword in his hand so that the blade ran parallel to his arm and leaped toward the plane with unbelievable agility. Dr. Director looked at the ground where Ron had been standing and noticed two impressions where his feet had been. When she returned her gaze to him, she noted with a small degree of alarm that the Blade had increased in length.

She signaled for her men to hold their positions and broke into a sprint as Ron began to cut through the door of the plane.

Baron's trauma passed when a loud _**BANG**_ traveled through the cabin. A small jolt caused the aircraft to rock slightly. Confused, Baron turned toward the door to see a gaping whole in its center. Another _**BANG**_ sounded, and the entire door bent inward. The next impact smashed it in, and Ron Stoppable, now blue-skinned and wielding a sword, entered the plane. He was out for blood.

Rick waited in the pilot's seat for Baron to close the door, but instead of a signal telling him it was safe to take off, he received an alarm telling him that there was a system malfunction. He accessed the plane's internal surveillance system and watched as the heroic young Stoppable stepped over the cut, mangled remains of the cabin door and entered the aircraft with a wickedly long sword. The Global Justice director entered soon after and signaled to someone waiting outside. Stoppable knelt next to Kim as two agents entered the plane and led Baron away. Rick opened a small compartment below the control panel and reached inside; taking hold of his own weapon, he stood up and turned toward the door of the spacious cockpit.

"Where is Kim?" Ron asked. It seemed, however, that he didn't need an answer, for his gaze came to rest on the figure on the floor behind Baron. Dr. Director followed Ron's line of sight to Kim's body.

Ron stepped toward Walter, intending to relieve some of his anger on the man, but Dr. Director stopped him.

"Wait." She shuddered with fear when Ron was suddenly staring at her from the corner of his eye. Forcing her words past the fear in her throat, she said, "Check on Kim!"

Ron knelt down next to the unconscious girl on the floor and pressed the first two fingers of his right hand against her neck. "Uneven heartbeat, and faint."

Dr. Director took one more look at Baron before she turned her head to the left and barked to the waiting army outside. "MEDIC!!" No sooner did that word leave her mouth than a gunshot blasted through the cabin. She snapped her head back to the right to see Rick standing in the doorway of the cockpit, holding a revolver in his right hand. The weapon, was aimed at Ron.

Ron had sensed Rick's presence, _known_ that the man's heart held sinister intent, but he still hadn't expected the gun. Rick Owens was a professional bounty hunter and expert in Kung Fu, the deadliest form of hand-to-hand combat known to mankind; on top of that, no one could even hope to match the man's speed. Rick didn't need a gun, and that's why Ron was so surprised by his use of such an object as a firearm. It seemed to the young martial artist that his opponent was cheating.

Even more surprising than the presence of the gun, however, was the absence of pain. Ron could feel no discomfort from the bullet wound in his left side, even though he was fully aware that he now had a punctured lung. It seemed that the Lotus Blade was keeping him alive; not a drop of blood rushed into his damaged lung. He could still breathe.

Ron stood and stepped forward, raising the Lotus Blade into a two-handed scorpion position, and held it ready at Rick's throat.

The interior of the plane was completely silent. In three seconds, a medic had been called, a gunshot had been fired, a young teenager with a sword had been shot (without dying) by man skilled in the art of Kung Fu, and the wounded teen had stood to face his attacker without so much as a flinch. Now time itself seemed to crawl at the pace of a snail in its last moments of life.

Rick and Ron stood face to face, each staring into the eyes of his opponent. Smoke uncoiled like a snake from the barrel of the revolver, dissipating between their faces.

Rick seemed unfazed by the teenager's behavior. Without so much as a second thought, he altered the position of the gun and pulled the trigger again, then repeated the action a third, and finally, a fourth time. Ron already had a punctured left lung; the second bullet bored through his stomach, while the third made a harmless pass between two other organs. The fourth bullet, however, made its way through his body an inch and a half to the right of his heart, passing miraculously through a pair of ribs; it buried itself in the wall behind.

Ron made the next move.

Intending to render his opponent's arm useless, Ron pulled the Lotus Blade back and jabbed forward, determined to drive the weapon into flesh and bone, but before the sword could travel half of its distance to the man's shoulder, the target was gone. Ron felt his opponent's presence shift to his left side, and without thinking lifted his left foot into a sideways drop kick that fully connected with the center of Rick's chest.

Rick was flung backward through the cabin of the plane and hit the floor with a loud 'Oof!'. He regained his footing instantly, glaring at the teenager before him with hatred.

No one had ever been able to touch him before, and now a boy with nothing more than a sword and an odd complexion could kick him in the chest and send him flying. _'There will be no more of that!'_ He thought.

Rick turned around and focused on the stupefied director of Global Justice; she had been unable to move since he had shot Ronald just a moment ago. It was just as the summoned medic entered the plane that Rick grabbed the handgun from the director's hands and sent firearm out the door and onto the tarmac. Spinning the unresisting woman to face away from him, he slammed the grip of his own weapon into the back of her neck and laid her down in a nearby seat. He turned to the medic, who raised his hands in surrender and stepped back outside.

Rick turned around for a sideways look at Ron and sneered, "Will you go down as easily?" He balanced on the balls of his feet and raised his hands into his fighting stance.

Ron was already attacking. With a sweep of the Lotus Blade, he attempted to cut Rick's leg and render him immobile, but Owens was moving backward already, steering himself toward the door of the plane. He was going to take the fight outside.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KIM POSSIBLE OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OWNED BY DISNEY. WALTER BARON AND RICK OWENS, HOWEVER, ARE MINE. THE PLOT AND EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE ALSO MINE.**

PART: 9

The medic had already rejoined the other Global Justice agents by the time Ron made it out the door and onto the moveable staircase, but that wasn't nearly as concerning as the new scene that had unfolded while he was inside the plane.

The number of people waiting on the tarmac had doubled. Every one of the agents that had been standing on the runway a few minutes ago was now kneeling on the ground, hands in the air, with one of Baron's henchmen pointing a submachine gun at his head; the twins, too, were held at gunpoint in their seats in the chopper. Each of the agents' weapons was lying on the ground next to the man to whom it belonged. Baron had been freed by his men and was standing near the front of the group, grinning.

"You are in quite an unfavorable position, Mr. Stoppable!" He shouted as Ron finished his descent and stepped onto the ground. "I suggest you surrender and lay down your sword!"

Ron grinned, but before he could reply, Rick said, "No, sir, this young man is _my_ opponent, and I demand permission to finish this match!"

Baron faltered. "Very well, Rick. If you find this _boy_ to be a worthy opponent, then so be it. But do not kill him. If he survives then he, too, will make an excellent hostage!"

Rick nodded (_'Now you tell me.'_ He thought.) and turned his attention back to Ron, who was once again standing with his sword in the scorpion position. The blade curved forward and down in front of Ron's face, obscuring part of his features. Rick could see the cold, calculating focus in the teen's one visible eye and knew that this would be a real challenge, far different from the sparring matches between himself and the Global Justice trainees.

Ron's mind, meanwhile, was moving at a speed unparalleled by Wade's homemade supercomputer. The exchange between Rick and Baron had hardly ended when he found a solution. There was one technique that Sensei had taught him a few days ago; it was one of the final lessons Ron had learned before leaving Yamanouchi.

The technique was a complex combination of two things: a series of coordinated and exact movements with his body, and a steady, controlled release of energy from the Lotus Blade. The movements of Ron's body would channel the Blade's energy to the desired location, while his conscious mind would dictate the actions of that energy.

Ron lifted his left foot, maintaining his scorpion stance as he stood on his right. He then lifted the heel of his right foot and balanced on his toes. Moving his left hand forward and touching the flat surface of the Lotus Blade, he ran his fingers down the smooth, gleaming plane of steel before returning his hand to the hilt of the sword and summoning the necessary energy from the legendary katana.

Rick watched as Ron steadied himself on his right foot, and realized that he had seen that stance before. With a jolt of surprise and envy, he understood that this boy, this _child_, had mastered the single technique he himself had tried, but been unable to achieve. Although Rick would never have used the Lotus Blade, a normal katana would have been all he would need, and although a normal katana did not have the power of the Lotus Blade, Rick did possess an enormous amount of Chi, which would have easily served the same purpose as the energy from the renowned Lotus Blade.

Rick watched on as Ron began the series of steps that would end the entire match with a single blow. Before the teen could make another move, he leaped into action, charging toward Ron with a desire to end the boy's movements before they could cause any harm.

As the invisible energy from the Lotus Blade enveloped Ron's limbs and began to follow his will, Rick leaped forward, intending to end the cycle of commands controlling the flow of energy from the sword. Ron, both seeing and sensing the intention in Rick's movements, continued the cycle of motions, using the technique's rhythm to dodge the kicks and punches being directed at him.

As he avoided Rick's deadly blows, Ron directed the Blade's energy to a location around Baron's henchmen; he would overload the air in the areas around their heads with a concussive force sufficient to render them all unconscious, and since they were standing (which left the others kneeling on the ground), the Global Justice agents would be fine and the mercenaries would suffer the results of Ron's ability with the Lotus Blade.

With one final preparatory sweep of his left leg, Ron managed to knock Rick off of his feet and onto the ground. Then he tightened his grip on the Lotus Blade and buried the sword in the tarmac, keeping his grip on its hilt. A wave of blue light swept over the ground, beginning at the hole in the tarmac and sweeping outward from the blade; accompanying the wave of light was a low sound like distant thunder that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Baron and his men fell unconscious to the ground.

Ron didn't wait for what he knew would come; the agents would take care of the rest. He turned around, saw Rick picking himself up off of the ground, and pulled the Lotus Blade out of the airport runway. The Kung Fu artist instantly adopted a combat stance and charged at Ron, hoping to get the sword out of his reach before another devastating sword technique could be attempted.

But Ron was already moving, dodging Rick's first punch and lashing out with a roundhouse kick that missed its mark. Without waiting, Ron followed the kick with a fist, then followed that with a sweep of the Blade. Both missed. Rick returned with two more open-handed finger-jabs, then a drop kick that barely missed Ron's right shoulder.

The two opponents continued to both attack and dodge, moving with such incredible speed that none of the Global Justice agents dared fire for fear of hitting the wrong target. Ron realized that they had finished loading Baron and his mercenaries into the Global Justice crime van and were staring at the battle between himself and Rick.

"What are you waiting for?!" He yelled as he attempted to sweep Rick off of his feet again. "Get in the plane!" He paused for a breath. "Kim . . . and Dr. Director . . . need medical attention!"

Both of the present Global Justice medics immediately ran for the jet while Ron continued to fight with Rick. As they reached the top of the stairs, Ron glanced at them to be sure that they had made it to the plane unimpeded, but before he could refocus on Rick, he felt a blow to his chest that sent him rolling across the tarmac. When he finally stopped, he was lying on his stomach, the Lotus Blade still in his right hand. Rick was approaching from the left.

"You're forgetting a very important rule of combat." He remarked. "Never turn away from your opponent; keep your eyes on him at all times."

Ron rolled to his feet and turned to face his adversary again. He drew the Lotus Blade backward and thrust it forward at Rick's face, but before the deadly katana could reach its mark, Rick tilted his head to the side, evading the sword, and grabbed Ron's right wrist, the one holding the Blade. With an unnatural amount of strength, Rick tightened his grip, wrenching the joint with such force that several bones were broken.

Ron was unable to feel any pain, but nonetheless cried out with surprise as his wrist went limp. _'No!'_ He thought as the Lotus Blade began to slip from his fingers.

Everything began to happen very slowly. In a desperate move, Ron tipped his head back, then threw it forward, making contact with Rick's forehead. The bounty hunter yelled in pain and released Ron's wrist, allowing him to close his fingers around the hilt of the Lotus Blade. It was just enough to keep the sword within his grasp; Ron gasped a small sigh of relief.

However, before the teen could do anything more, Rick had already recovered from the blow to his head. With a single smooth and graceful rotation of his body, the Kung Fu master performed a roundhouse kick that impacted with Ron's injured wrist.

Ron grunted as the Lotus Blade was sent spinning away, but once the katana left his grasp, the grunt became a wet, gurgling sound. Gut-wrenching agony ripped through his entire body, triggered by his bullet wounds and his broken wrist, but the blood that was now pouring into his lungs blocked the scream of pain that struggled to tear through his vocal cords; the blue color began to fade from his skin, allowing it to return to its normal color. He coughed once, stumbled backward a step, and dropped to his right knee. Tipping forward, he caught himself with his left hand and coughed again. This time there was blood. It trickled from the corners of his mouth and down his chin, dripping to the ground.

Rick watched with relief as Ron finally submitted to the bullet wounds inflicted to his body. At first he had been confused; he hadn't been able to figure out why the boy wasn't bleeding, or even in pain, but eventually he had realized that the Lotus Blade was preserving the kid's life, keeping the pain away and allowing his body to function effectively. All he'd really had to do was get the sword away from Ron, but the task had proved more challenging than expected.

Finally, though, Rick had managed to get close enough to restrain the kid, and even though a broken wrist had brought no pain, it served as a useful distraction, allowing Rick to kick the sword from the teen's grip. Getting the katana away from the boy had been difficult indeed, but Rick managed to pull it off, and now, after the sword had been sent spinning into oblivion, Stoppable was dying before his eyes.

Unfortunately for the boy, Rick wasn't finished yet; Ron's heart was still beating.

Ron's vision began to flicker; he could feel his heartbeat slowing, becoming erratic, irregular. Another wave of pain. He had to retrieve the Lotus Blade.

Ron called to the sword with his mind, willing it to come, but his thought were foggy, scattered. He couldn't think.

He couldn't breathe.

His heart skipped a beat, resulting in severe chest pain. . . . He gasped, fighting for oxygen.

Someone grabbed his shirt, lifted him off of the ground. It was Rick. Ron could barely focus on the man in front of him. Why did dying take so long? The pain was unbearable. His heart skipped another beat. More pain.

Ron coughed again. More blood. Some of it was on Rick's face now.

Rick opened his right hand and slammed his palm into Ron's chest; the impact sent the youth somersaulting once again over the asphalt. Ron came to a stop on his right side, staring at Rick, wondering why the Global Justice agents hadn't fired at him yet.

With a sigh of exhaustion, he closed his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**I DO NOT OWN KIM POSSIBLE YADA YADA. . . . BUT I DO OWN DR. DERRIDGE, DR. COBICK, AND CAARIE BENNITS, THOUGH THE SPELLING OF CAARIE'S NAME BELONGS TO MY FRIEND AMBER SHEPPLER.**

**ANYWAY, ON WITH THE STORY!**

PART 10:

_Ron opened his eyes to darkness. Where was he?_

_A prison._

_But where was the prison?_

_Ron blinked. Nothing happened._

_He flexed his hands, clenched his fingers into fists. So, he still had control over his body. However, that didn't quell his uneasiness. He still didn't know _where_ he was._

_A blue light appeared in the darkness ahead._

_Ron began to walk, moving toward the blueness ahead of him. When he finally passed through, he found himself standing in a large green field of waist-high grass; the sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, but there were no shadows. A breeze moved over the field, creating living waves of green as the grass in the field tilted sideways. About a hundred feet ahead, a wall of enormous oak trees rose from the field, forming a solid wall as far to the left and the right as the eyes could see. Ron turned and looked behind him; the expansive fields of grass faded into the darkness from which he had come. He looked down and saw that he was clothed the same thing he had been wearing when he was fighting Rick, his same old baggy pants and his same old red shirt. There were holes in the fabric, and blood soaked the cloth; he was wounded. Ron looked up again and began walking toward the trees._

_When he got closer, he noticed that the trunks of the trees were touching. They had grown so closely together that the tree-line literally formed an impenetrable wall. However, there was an opening directly ahead where the bases of two trunks had begun to grow separately, but merged with one another about five feet above the ground._

_It was then that Ron realized where he was: He wasn't in a prison. He was in his own mind. He had dreamed about a place like this once. If he was right. . . ._

_Ron continued to approach the forest, hoping that he would find what he thought was behind the trees. He ducked into the natural opening, out of the wind, and waited for his eyes to adjust. It didn't take long._

_On the other side of the wall of trees was a sight that Ron knew he would never forget. No amount of light could penetrate the leafy canopy above, and barely any came into the clearing through the opening behind. It should have been dark here, yet this open area within the natural tree-wall glowed dimly with its own bluish luminescence. Also surprising was the utter lack of noise; it was completely silent here. There were no birds; there was no wind; and even the sound of Ron's breathing was subdued._

_More waist-high grass stood in the circular, thirty-foot wide clearing, but instead of appearing green, as typical grass would, it seemed pale, slightly rainbow colored, as though a multi-colored filter had been placed over the nonexistent light source; Ron gazed at the scene before him with awe._

_From his place at the edge of the clearing, he could tell that the trees inside the forest grew much more naturally, still close to one another, but with distance among them._

_A small, two-foot wide river flowed languidly out of the far end of the forest, weaving across the clearing and through the rainbow field. It terminated at Ron's right side, flowing into a subterranean riverbed under the tree-line. Ron began to walk along the bank of the little river, following his dream toward the opposite end of the clearing._

_As he neared the tree-line opposite where he had been standing, Ron turned a little to the left, the direction in which the ground now sloped downward, though only slightly, and walked into a somewhat thicker stand of trees. About ten feet outside of the edge of the clearing, within this thick grove of oak, there stood a small concrete room. Ron entered and traversed his way down the two steps to the floor of the room._

_As he had expected, this small area seemed to be some sort of dead end, with no other entrance but the one he had just used. However, he knew that there was a weak spot somewhere in the back wall, slightly to the left of the entrance. Ron approached the point in the wall that he knew to be weak; he lifted his hand to touch the concrete and stone, running his fingers along the rough surface._

_With one quick movement, he stepped backward and slammed the heel of his right foot into the weakened concrete. It crumbled like dried clay, breaking into pieces and revealing a dark hole. He entered._

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Ron snapped awake, re-entering the physical world from his mind and gathering his surroundings.

He was in a hospital, lying in a bed; an EKG monitor beeped in the darkness, indicating his heart rate with a soft green glow.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief, glad he was actually still alive. _Alive. . . ._

_. . .Kim. Where was Kim?_

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The time was 11:43 p.m.

Visiting hours at Middleton Hospital were long over and the building was nearly silent; the only perceptible sounds were those of the vending machines in the hallway and of the night staff quietly performing their duties. Two doctors lay asleep in the waiting room, having spent several hours treating two critically wounded patients in the emergency room; however, they were unable to leave until the patients had slept through the night without complications.

A nurse, Caarie Bennits, sat at the front desk poring over patient files and preparing them for the next morning, when other doctors would arrive to check up on them. In front of her on the countertop were two EKG monitors, each showing the heart rate of a different patient.

The first monitor showed the vitals of a young, nineteen-year-old girl sleeping in room 12, a Miss Kim Possible. The girl had been captured at about midday the previous day and held against her will; she had tried to escape from the compound, but was recaptured a short time later. Her captors had tortured her for information, but to no avail. Her body had withstood fifteen lashes of the whip and severe loss of blood before she passed out. Global Justice had been able to transport Kim to the hospital for immediate treatment.

The second monitor displayed the vital signs of a young man, nineteen-year-old Ron Stoppable, who was asleep in room 13. However, his condition was noticeably worse than Kim's. He had accompanied the Global Justice team sent to retrieve Miss Possible; details were sketchy and well-guarded, but rumor floating about the Intensive Care Unit pointed toward the idea that Mr. Stoppable had used some sort of otherworldly powers to rescue Kim and thwart the kidnappers' plans of abduction.

Caarie put Kim's and Ron's medical files away and rolled her chair toward the computer terminal behind the desk. Since she was finished with her work, she decided to play some solitaire; that, at least, would keep her from falling asleep. She scarcely finished her first game when one of the monitors on the desk indicated that Ron was awake; his heart rate had increased.

'_I'd better check on him.'_ She was thinking. No sooner did the thought pass through her mind than the EKG flat-lined and began to blare an alarm. Ron had gone into cardiac arrest. . . .

With a start, Caarie leapt from her chair. "Doctor Derridge! Wake up!" She shouted, but the man was already on his feet. Having been accustomed to situations like this, he had heard the alarm and was all too aware that his attention was needed. _Now._

"Room thirteen!" yelled Caarie.

Dr. Cobick, too, had heard the alarm and was on his feet, following the sprinting Dr. Derridge out of the waiting room and toward room 13, but he nearly plowed into his colleague, who had stopped in the doorway of the desired room. What they saw surprised them.

Ron's heart had not failed. He had woken up and was now trying to leave the room. He had torn out his IV needle, allowing some of his blood to escape through the punctured brachial artery in the crook of his elbow. The needle was now dangling uselessly from the pouch next to Ron's bed, as were the recently-removed leads that had once been connected to his chest. Since the electrocardiograph could no longer detect a heart beat, it delivered a flat line, causing the alarm at the front desk to sound.

However, this did not mean that Ron was safe; he was already out of bed, risking his life by simply standing upright. He was staggering toward the door with the look of a deranged mental patient and didn't even seem to notice the two doctors and the nurse blocking his path.

"Ron," Dr. Derridge said, "lie down. You need to rest."

"Where is Kim?" Was all the reply he received. Ron's voice was hoarse, as though he had spent several hours yelling.

"Kim is fine. She's resting down the hall, but you can't visit her now. She's asleep."

"I don't care. I need to see her."

Ron tried to push through the doorway, but Dr. Derridge wouldn't move. He flattened his hand against Ron's collarbone, preventing him from moving forward. "No." He said firmly. He applied pressure to Ron's upper chest, forcing him back into the room. "It's time for you to rest."

At first, Ron seemed to comply; he allowed the pressure on his chest to guide him a few steps backward, but before he was half way back to the bed he braced his feet on the floor and adopted a weak fighting stance. Before any of the medical personnel could comprehend what they were seeing, Ron jabbed forward with the heel of his left hand, striking the man before him in the stomach.

Dr. Derridge was surprised; the blow was not very strong, but it wasn't very weak, either, and it caught him off guard. He stumbled backward, astonished at the wounded teen's strength.

That strength, however, seemed to be fading quickly. Ron had attempted to incapacitate Dr. Derridge and escape his room, but at a great cost of energy; the young man stood in a state of fatigue, wiped out by his seemingly enormous efforts. Indeed, he passed out a moment later, only to be caught in the waiting arms of both doctors. They placed him back in his bed, but not wanting to risk another outburst, they fastened the restraining straps on his wrists and over his waist. Then they replaced the EKG leads and the IV needle. As soon as they were certain he was safe, they retired back to the waiting room to wait out the rest of the night.

As Doctor Derridge lay down on one of the hospital's couches, he yawned. He knew that both Kim and Ron would be fine.

He had been right. Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible both made full recoveries and were back to themselves in no time. Of course, a special surgeon had been hired to make certain that Kim's back would not scar, and Ron underwent intense physical therapy during his recovery. Only once did he experience any problems.

He had begun to bleed internally, from the wound near his heart, but the problem was soon solved, though it cost him an extra week and a half in bed.

Before a year had passed, Kim and Ron were back to themselves, foiling Drakken's plots and saving the world, per usual. At one point, they even met an entirely new group of heroes, but that is a story for another time.

Oh, yes, and there is the issue of the microchip. As soon as she was able, Kim revealed the location of the troublesome little device. When Dr. Director asked her about it's hiding place, she revealed that she had hidden it inside a hole in the tree at the Middleton Pre-K School, the very place where she had first met Ron.

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Thank you for reading my first fanfiction ever! I hope it wasn't too horrible. I know it took its time getting to the point, but I couldn't really help it, even though I personally hate stories like that. I like to jump right in!

At any rate, my next story, A Gathering of Heroes, will hopefully begin soon. As a sneak peek at the content, I will tell you that Kim and Ron get to meet a few heroes from some of my personal stories. It will be an interesting twist allowing readers to meet some of my own creations. ;D

Anyway, see you then! _**Oreochema, Mountain Winter Storm**_ (I am not a cookie!)

EDIT: A Gathering of Heroes can be found here: s/6041886/1/A-Gathering-of-Heroes Worry not! None of my own characters will be romantically involved with Kim or Ron! (I wouldn't disgrace the show like that.)


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